Environmental + Natural Resources

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No firm knows trees, rocks, and water better than Morrison & Foerster.

For decades, our lawyers have been at the leading edge of timber, mining, water and other resources law, representing industry clients, real estate developers and public agencies in a broad range of litigation, regulatory and environmental matters. With one of the most sophisticated natural resource and endangered-species practices around, MoFo's unmatched regulatory capability and knowledge of the industry mean that we are retained to handle the most complex matters.

Resource and land use development occurs in a highly regulated environment. It is often subject to the jurisdiction of multiple federal, state and local agencies administering different laws with different purposes, mandates and requirements—often against a background of political, community, technical and scientific constraints and limits. We have a highly interdisciplinary approach that addresses scientific issues head on. We work closely with our experts to develop the clear scientific evidence and arguments that can be determinative in litigation. We know how to work with regulators and experts to provide strategic legal and business guidance, and get the results our resource clients want. Our approach paid off in our representation of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California in the Bay Delta litigation. Through our collaboration with top experts in the fields of fisheries and wildlife statistics, we were able to explain key scientific errors in a biological opinion restricting water exports to Southern California.

We have a respected practice in all aspects of state and federal natural resource permitting, including wildlife and fisheries, endangered-species, water rights and water quality, and wetlands laws and regulations. We have handled some of the most challenging and complex Endangered Species Act and habitat-conservation matters in California, including the ongoing Bay Delta litigation, the Dutch Slough Tidal Marsh Restoration Project and nearly every major forestry case in California for the past 15 years.

Having served on the inside, our lawyers have intimate knowledge of the workings of state and federal agencies, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Department of State. We have valued relationships with senior officials in key California agencies, including the California Coastal Commission, state and regional water boards, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

With deep scientific and industry experience, business insight, and recognized legal skill, our lawyers are unmatched at helping industry and real estate developer clients navigate business and regulatory hurdles to achieve their goals.

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